Growing up, fairy tales have always been a huge part of my life. Disney versions were the most accessible and so are the ones that I'm most familiar with, but being curious by nature (somewhat like one of my favorite fairy tale characters, Alice) I looked for more information about the stories I loved and found other versions too, like the Brothers Grimm's and Hans Christian Anderson. When I saw this class being offered I was thrilled, and just knew that I had to take it, just for the opportunity to learn more about these stories. I'm really looking forward to diving into the world of folklore and fairy tales through the looking glass, if you will, and finding out the rich histories behind each story, as well as learning about what exactly makes a fairy tale a fairy tale and not some other kind of story.

Unlike my sister who watched Cinderella every day for about three straight years, there was never just one fairy tale that stood out as a favorite for me. I loved Belle's intelligence and love of reading in Beauty and the Beast, and I found the 3 magical wishes from a genie in Aladdin to be very exciting with so many possible things to wish for (not to mention a magical flying carpet, who wouldn't want one of those?). Over the years though, as even more versions of every fairy tale are released, I've become rather entranced by the tales of Alice's adventure in Wonderland. Most recently, I watched a modern setting of this story in Syfy channel's mini series Alice and realized that I love this story so much because really anything could happen in Wonderland. Talking doorknobs, singing flowers, a smiling cat that can come and go as he pleases... it seemed as though there's always something a new adventure awaiting for you wherever you go throughout Wonderland. Fairy tales, to me, have always been the key to my imagination, opening the door to endless possibilities, and Alice in Wonderland is exactly that: a place full of endless possibilities.